The Art of Turnabout
by AceFangirl
Summary: A collab fic between AceFangirl and High Inquisitor Darkblaw. Rated T solely because Ace Attorney is. Also that's not my picture, nor Darkblaw's. Apollo receives a call from Juniper Woods, requesting that he and Athena defend a new friend of hers. But is this girl truly innocent? Or is she just drawn that way?
1. Chapter 1

**_Hi there! This chapter was brought to you by AceFangirl! I can't take all the credit, of course. As it says in the summary, this story is the product of a collaboration between myself and the amazingly talented High Inquisitor Darkblaw! The way this is going to work is that I'm going to be writing the investigation chapters, and my partner in crime Darky'll be writing the trial chapters! So if you happen to love his writing, check out his stuff! And if you like mine, feel free to check out some of mine! *shameless promotional statements are shameless* ;D_**

**_Hope you enjoy the story! Reviews welcome! :D_**

* * *

Taking in a deep breath, the young man closed his eyes and slowly exhaled. _This is it. I have to finish this. There's no turning back now. _He opened his eyes and fixated his gaze on his target. _I can't afford to miss this. _Slowly, he took aim. _Steady, arms. Don't go shaking on me, this has to be perfect. _He took one more breath in, and fired.

"Miss!" Trucy shouted.

"Gah!" Apollo, his concentration shattered, launched his dart reflexively and watched it hit the wall, four inches away from the target board hung on the office door.

"I win!" Trucy said, pumping her fist in the air.

"Not fair!" Apollo said, gritting his teeth.

"Hey, at least you got second place," Athena said, lazily spinning around in one of the office chairs. "Why did I agree to play darts against two people with superhuman vision?"

"We all make mistakes, Thena," Trucy said, giggling.

"And some of us get sabotaged," Apollo said.

"I'm sorry," Trucy said, still giggling to herself.

_Heh, no you're not. _Apollo rolled his eyes good-naturedly. "So now what?"

"I don't know," Athena said, stopping the rotating chair with her foot. "Maybe-"

Before the redheaded attorney could finish her sentence, an electronic melody reverberated through the air.

"Sorry, that's me," Apollo said, taking his cell phone out of his pocket. "Wright Anything Agency, Apollo Justice."

"Apollo, I need you and Thena to get here right away!"

"Juniper?" Apollo said, recognizing the faint, delicate voice.

"Oh, I'm sorry. Yes, it's me, Juniper. I should have said that first," Juniper said.

"It's fine," Apollo said, smiling. "What's up?"

"Can you and Thena please come to the detention center? A friend of ours needs your help," Juniper said, urgency in her tone.

"No problem, we'll get there as soon as we can," Apollo said.

"Thank you so much, I knew you'd help!" Juniper said.

"Of course!" Apollo said. "See you in a bit."

"Bye," Juniper said.

Apollo hung up the cell and slipped it back into his pocket.

"Huh, I didn't know Juniper had your phone number," Trucy said, tapping her chin.

"What?" Apollo said, caught off guard. "Well, yeah! I mean, I used to be her lawyer, kind of. Plus she's a friend, so, you know, why wouldn't she?"

"Right, of course," Trucy said, smiling innocently. "So I guess you're off to help her out?"

"It's a friend of hers," Apollo said, feeling defensive for some reason. "Plus she asked Athena to come too."

"I heard, and I'm ready to go when you are," Athena said. "You want to come, Trucy?"

"I'd love to, but we can't leave the office unattended; that would be unprofessional!" Trucy said.

"I'm pretty sure leaving a kid to watch the office alone is unprofessional too," Apollo said.

"Polly, you're acting like I'm four. I'm sixteen, perfectly capable of keeping an eye on things," Trucy said, putting her hands on her hips. "Besides, Daddy should be back soon anyway."

_And you wonder why I think of you as a little kid. _"Alright then, if you're sure."

"Positive!" Trucy said, tilting her silk hat.

"Just don't set anything on fire, okay?" Apollo said.

"That's never going to happen again!" Trucy said defensively.

"If you say so," Apollo said, walking out the door with Athena in tow.

* * *

Apollo and Athena walked into the visiting room of the detention center. The senior lawyer's eyes were immediately drawn to a girl with brunette braids and a blush pink dress standing next to a glass panel that separated the prisoners and visitors. On the other side of the glass, a girl with auburn hair and a messy apron looked at the lawyers nervously.

"Hello, Apollo. Hello, Thena," Juniper said, smiling gently.

"Hi," Apollo said, returning the smile.

"Hey, Junie!" Athena said. "Who's your friend?"

"This is Paige," Juniper said, looking at the nervous girl tapping a pencil against the counter in front of her.

"Hi there," Paige said. "Juniper says you're lawyers."

"That we are," Athena said. "What are you in for?"

"Well, I was arrested for…. murder," Paige said. "I don't suppose you take cases like that?"

"You're in luck," Apollo said. _Come to think of it, have I ever taken a case that wasn't for murder charges….? I really should find a new niche. _"So what happened exactly?"

"I don't know, honestly," Paige said. "It was a pretty normal day, at least in the beginning. Then my boss died…."

"That's awful," Athena said. "Why would they think it was you?"

"I'm not sure," Paige said. "When my boss collapsed, I thought he had just had a seizure or something. But then later the police confronted me and said he'd been poisoned to death."

"So this man was your boss?" Apollo said. "Where do you work?"

"Timmons Art Studio," Paige said. "Have you heard of it?"

"I can't say I'm all that art savvy," Apollo said.

"I think I've heard of it," Athena said, playing with her earring. "There was an article in the paper about a guy named Timmons selling a painting to a museum."

"That was my boss!" Paige said, lighting up. "Victor Timmons is a world class painter. His brushstrokes are so precise, his creations are more life-like than life itself! To see him work would've been a dream come true."

"Wait, you've never seen him paint?" Apollo said. "Didn't you work for him?"

"Yes, I was his personal assistant. Kind of his student," Paige said. "But he was very private about his work. No one was allowed to see him paint, he required complete solitude because the presence of others would distract him."

"Really, you never got to see anything?" Apollo said. _Not much of a teacher._

"I never got to see him paint, but I have seen him sketch," Paige said. "That alone was a blessing, to see true art being formed in the mind of a genius. He was always so concentrated when he sat behind his desk, intensely furrowing his brow and chewing on his favorite pen. Even when there's nothing on the page before him, you just know that in his mind there's a masterpiece in his mind's eye."

Apollo blinked a couple times, absorbing the information. _That was the most dramatic retelling of a man sitting in front of a piece of paper I've ever heard._

"Sounds like you really admired this man," Athena said.

"Mr. Timmons really was a great artist," Juniper said. "I saw some of his works, they were truly marvelous. I could never appreciate the technique that went into them like Paige does though."

"I guess it takes an artist to really appreciate another artist," Athena said.

"Oh, I am hardly an artist," Paige said, shaking her head. "I have no inspiration whatsoever. Every time I try to create something, my mind is completely empty. My entire sketch pad is nothing but giant X's and scribbles."

"I see," Apollo said. "I'm sure you'll figure something out."

"Doubtful, Mr. Timmons was the closest thing to inspiration I'd ever encountered. And now he's gone…." Paige said, looking down at her shoes and biting her pencil.

"I'm sorry for your loss, but right now I think we need to focus on getting you out of here," Apollo said. "Because I'm pretty confident you didn't kill your boss."

"Paige is definitely innocent," Juniper said, putting a hand to her heart. "Please help her."

"Of course we will," Apollo said. "Don't worry, Paige, Athena and I are going to clear your name. Where did the murder take place again?"

"At the art studio," Paige said.

"Alright, thank you," Apollo said. "Ready to go, Athena?"

"Let's go!" Athena said, flashing a V-sign.


	2. Chapter 2

"This must be the place," Apollo said, gazing at the impressive building before him.

Timmons Art Studio stood high above the attorney's head, the exterior an eloquent, orderly pattern of glass panes and metallic strips. The lawn was well manicured, and Apollo was quite sure the concrete walkway to the front door was cleaner than the agency's floor.

"This is an art studio?" Athena said.

"I guess so," Apollo said. "Well, let's see if we can get inside."

The two lawyers walked up to the door, and Athena rang the doorbell on the side. There was a faint chime, and a few moments later a man in a police uniform answered the door.

"Hi, my name is Athena Cykes," the ginger attorney said in a polite tone. "This is my partner, Apollo Justice. And we were wondering-"

"Great, this again," the officer moaned.

"Excuse me?" Apollo said.

"Look, we're not answering questions right now. I don't care what newspaper or TV station you're from, the answer's no," the officer said, shutting the door.

"Wait!" Athena said, blocking the door with her foot. "You don't understand!"

"I don't care how mad your boss is going to be, no means no," the police officer said, attempting to push Athena's boot out of the way with his own.

"That's not it," Athena grumbled, slowly pushing the door open with her deceptively strong arms. "We just want to investigate."

"That's even worse," the officer grunted, struggling to close the door. "Police officials only. No reporters."

"You don't understand," Athena said, pushing the door open just a little more. "We're not-"

"Oh my gosh, is that who I think it is?" someone said in a voice much louder than necessary from behind the officer.

A girl with a messy crew cut in a red tracksuit quickly sprinted over, knocking down the officer and wrapping her arms around Athena with enough force to make her take a step back. She then went on to hug Apollo a little too forcefully for the young lawyer's taste.

"Hi, Robin," Apollo croaked, waiting for the air to return to his lungs.

"Hehe! Good to see you two! It's been so L-O-N-G!" Robin said, waving her finger with every letter.

"Wh-what's going on here?" the disoriented officer said, picking himself up off the ground.

"Junie called you guys, right?" Robin said, completely ignoring the officer. "I knew I could trust her to take care of Paige!"

"Yeah, Juniper called us," Apollo said. "But what are you doing here?"

"Junie didn't tell you?" Robin said. "I work here too!"

"You were Mr. Timmons' assistant too?" Athena said.

"That guy? No way!" Robin said. "Not to disrespect the dead, but his work was D-U-L-L! So precise and technical, where's the imagination?"

"Then…. What do you do?" Apollo said.

"Looks like Junie and Paige didn't tell you anything," Robin said, giggling to herself. "Guess I'll just have to show you. Follow me."

The energetic student grabbed the attorneys' wrists and pulled them through the door and into the studio. She quickly led them up the stairs, which brought them to an open floor with large windows that took up most of the wall. Scattered across the floor were rollers and brushes covered in paint and spray cans of all different colors. Next to one of the windows was a woman in a black tank top and jeans covered in paint standing in front of a canvas with random streaks of paint all over it.

"Charlotte, I'm back!" Robin said.

The woman turned around, whipping her long, dark hair. "Hey, Robin. I'm guessing these are the friends you were talking about?"

"Yep!" Robin said. "Apollo, Athena, meet Charlotte Timmons. She's been teaching me everything she knows about art!"

"Robin, what have I told you?" Charlotte said. "Art is not taught. You just do it."

"Right!" Robin said, grinning.

"Good. Now then, I'm guessing you two want to ask me some questions?" Charlotte said.

"Yes, if you don't mind," Apollo said.

"Fire away."

"Well, if you don't mind me being blunt…. Who are you exactly?" Apollo said. "I thought this studio was run by a Victor Timmons."

"That would be my brother," Charlotte said.

"Oh, I'm very sorry for your loss," Athena said, her necklace turning blue. "We had no idea…"

"It's alright, I've come to accept death as just another part of life," Charlotte said, staring into space. "Just another thing to paint about."

"So both you and your brother were painters?" Athena said.

"Yeah, but our methods are a little different," Charlotte said. "Even if we didn't always see eye to eye, I'll still miss him. Words aren't really my thing though, I think the painting I'm working on says it all though."

Apollo looked at the giant painting by the wall, a messy amalgamation of blue, green and maroon. _It's official. I don't get artists. _"Yeah, I think I see it."

"There you are!"

Everyone turned their heads to see the police officer from downstairs appear. He put his hands on his knees, taking in heavy, ragged breathes. "I'm getting too old for this…."

_Oh yeah, I forgot about him…. _Apollo felt his hair wilt over his forehead. _Never really cleared things up with him…._

The officer straightened up. "Now then, as I said before, this is a crime scene. This is not a place for civilians, even reporters. I'm going to need you two to come with me, or there will be consequences."

"What? You can't just kick them out!" Robin said, curling her hands into fists and stamping her foot.

"Sorry, kid, but I can. Your friends have no place here," the officer said.

"Hold it!"

A dark haired young man stood next to the stairs, one hand in the pocket of his blue tracksuit. He tilted his head back and gave a smug grin.

"Hughie, there you are!" Robin cheered.

"Looks like I came at the right time," Hugh said. "I'm guessing you didn't bother to explain to the good officer why Apollo and Athena are here?"

"Well, um…" Robin said, pouting. "It may have slipped my mind."

"They don't have any reason to be here," the officer said. "And I'm getting really tired of all the interruptions!"

"Officer, I can assure you that these two 'reporters', as you call them, have every reason to be here. And if you took a moment to examine them, you'd see why," Hugh said. "You'll notice that neither of them have a camera, microphone, or even a notebook on them, ergo they have no method of recording information. So if they're reporters, they're severely unprepared to do their job. And if you look at their lapels, you should immediately notice the badge they both wear. As an officer, you should recognize them as defense attorney badges. Therefore, they're clearly not reporters, nor average civilians. They're lawyers. Given that this studio has recently become the scene of a murder, and you've already arrested someone for the crime, it stands to reason that these two are that girl's lawyers."

"Yeah, what he said," Athena said, crossing her arms.

"Wait, you're lawyers?" the officer said.

"Yes, sorry for not making that clear earlier," Apollo said.

The officer sighed. "Alright then. Wish you'd said that earlier."

He went back down the stairs, mumbling to himself.

"Thanks, Hugh," Apollo said. "Good to see you, by the way."

"Hello, Apollo, Athena," Hugh said.

"Do you work here too?" Athena said.

"No, I don't possess the same zeal for art as Robin and Paige," Hugh said. "Ms. Timmons is kind enough to let Robin and I do our homework on the first floor when she's not working. Before you ask, I didn't witness the murder myself. I was downstairs at the time."

"Oh, that's too bad," Athena said, playing with her earring.

_I think that came out wrong…._

"Anyway, Robin, there's an officer downstairs that wants to get your statements," Hugh said.

"Aw…." Robin pouted. "But I don't want to testify…."

"Wait, Robin, you witnessed the murder?" Apollo said.

"Yeah, I saw it," Robin said. "I know Paige is innocent, but if I testify it could be really bad for her…."

"Robin, the best thing you can do for Paige is tell the truth," Hugh said. "If she's innocent, then the truth will reflect that. If you believe in Paige, then you have nothing to hide."

"…. You're right," Robin said, perking up. "Thanks, Hughie."

"It's just something I learned from my lawyer training," Hugh said, looking to the side. "Come on."

"See you guys later!" Robin said, walking off with her friend.

"Wait! …. Darn, we didn't get a chance to ask her what she saw," Athena said.

"It's alright, there's still plenty to investigate," Apollo said. "Let's get started."

**_Let's get started indeed! I've been itching to get to full-on investigation mode! In fact, I'm going to jump start that right now! Expect the next chapter soon! You guys are all awesome, please leave reviews so Darky and I can tell you exactly how awesome you are! Go ahead, don't be shy! You know you want to! ;D_**


	3. Chapter 3

"Heh, that girl has a one track mind," Charlotte said, watching Robin disappear down the staircase with Hugh in tow.

"That's one way of putting it," Apollo said. "So, if she was working when she saw the murder, does that mean you were there too?"

"Excellent deduction, Sherlock," Charlotte said. "But I can't tell you about it."

"Why not?" Athena said.

"The detective made me promise to keep my mouth shut until the trial, and I keep promises as a matter of principle," Charlotte said, painting something on her arm with a paintbrush. "Maybe you can squeeze something out of her, but my lips are sealed."

_Her? Hmm…. Yeah, I think I can make that work. _Apollo nodded his head. "Alright then. Do you think you could tell us how things work around here?"

"Sure," Charlotte said, revealing the bird she painted on her arm. "What do you want to know?"

"Well…. Who owns the art studio exactly? Was it your brother?" Apollo said.

"I can see why you'd think that, since Vic was the more popular one," Charlotte said. "But there isn't really a chain of command around here. We all live here, we all paint here, we all bought this place with our parents' money."

"What?" Apollo said.

"Our parents were both successful business owners," Charlotte said. "But they were also pretty sick, so they died from some health complications a few years ago. Us kids got a lot of inheritance, and eventually that turned into the Timmons Art Studio."

"Wow, that's quite a story," Athena said. "I'm sorry to hear about your parents."

"It's fine, it was years ago," Charlotte said. "I like to think they'd be proud of us."

"I'm sure they would be," Athena said. "I mean who wouldn't be proud to see their kids become such successful artists?"

"Eh, I wouldn't call myself all that successful honestly. That was more Victor's department," Charlotte said. "In fact, his paintings are going to be worth even more now."

"Why's that?" Apollo said.

"Well, when an artist dies, his work becomes much more valuable. You know, because now it's in limited supply," Charlotte said. "Kind of bites when you're the artist."

"Yeah, I can see how that would be a little bittersweet," Apollo said.

"Not for someone else who has your paintings," Charlotte said. "Then it's pure profit…."

"You sounded upset just now," Athena said. "Did something happen to your brother's paintings?"

"Yeah, they were stolen," Charlotte said.

"Really?" Apollo said, shocked. "When?"

"The thefts weren't all at once. Over the last couple months, one of Victor's paintings would disappear every now and then. Don't know how, don't know when. I just know Victor's collection was five paintings light when he died," Charlotte said.

"That's awful," Athena said, bringing her hands up to her face.

"It's certainly shifty," Charlotte said. "Wish I had more info on the matter."

_Me too. It can't just be a coincidence that he died after getting his work stolen…._

"I can see you'd like to know more too. Sorry, wish I could be more help," Charlotte said.

"Actually, I don't suppose you know why Paige was arrested?" Apollo said.

"Yeah, from what I could tell she adored Mr. Timmons," Athena said.

"She definitely did," Charlotte said, painting on her arm again. "But love comes in many forms. Like I said, if you want more info, talk to the detective. She should be in Victor's old corner, on the other side of the floor."

"Thank you," Apollo said. _Love comes in many forms. What's that supposed to mean? Does she really think Paige did it?_

"Now if you excuse me, I have some painting to get back to," Charlotte said, turning back to her canvas.

The lawyers turned around and began walking across the grand, spacious studio. As soon as they passed the staircase, they encountered the familiar scene of yellow police tape and a chalk outline of a person sprawled on the floor. There were a few objects scattered across the floor, along with a couple paint stains here and there, possibly from the extravagant Charlotte.

"Alright, let's get going," Apollo said, stepping over the police tape.

"For the last time, Robin! You cannot investigate!"

Apollo felt a hand roughly grab his shoulder and turn him around, bringing him face to face with the irritated glare of a brunette detective in a lab coat.

"Ema, I'm not Robin!" Apollo exclaimed, taking a step back.

"Oh, yeah, you're not," Ema said, genuinely surprised. She let the attorney go and dusted her hand off. "Sorry, she'd been bugging me about letting her investigate earlier and you kind of looked like her from a distance."

"No I don't!" Apollo said.

"Actually, I think I see it," Athena said, putting her hands on her hips. "You both wear red, your hair's similar, even from the front you guys look a lot alike. You could easily be her brother."

"I have no idea what you two are talking about, we are absolutely nothing alike," Apollo said.

"Eh, agree to disagree," Ema said, pulling out her signature bag of Snackoos. "So, I'm going to guess you're the girl's lawyer. But who's the ginger?"

"Athena Cykes! I'm an attorney at the agency," Athena said. "And who are you?"

"Detective Ema Skye," Ema said.

"Oh, Ema! Apollo's told me about you!" Athena said.

"So, Ema, how've you been?" Apollo said, grinning. The things he had shared with Athena didn't require further discussion, in his opinion.

"Alright, I guess. Still a detective, but I'm making it work," Ema said. "Besides, the prosecutor I've been working with lately isn't too bad. A little quirky, but it beats foppish for sure."

"Quirky?" Apollo said. "Who's the prosecutor?"

"The Twisted Samurai himself," Ema said. "I believe you've met him?"

"Yeah, I'd say we know him pretty well," Apollo said. _Hard to forget people that try to decapitate you…. Repeatedly…. _"So what exactly happened around here anyway?"

"Well, the victim was an artist, but you probably already knew that," Ema said, popping another Snackoo in her mouth.

"He was pretty famous, right?" Athena said.

"I should say so. He's been in the papers, magazines, museums, even won an award," Ema said.

"What award?" Apollo said.

"The Artist's Award of 2027," Ema said. "Apparently it's a big deal in the art world."

"Huh, did not know that," Apollo said, making a mental note.

"So Mr. Timmons was poisoned, right?" Athena said. "How?"

"You tell me," Ema said, crossing her arms and smirking. "I'm not an information booth, investigate yourself."

"Heh, challenge accepted," Apollo said, returning the smirk.

He turned his attention to the crime scene. The feet of the chalk outline were mere inches from one of the many windows, indicating that the victim had probably been looking out the window when he died. A few items were scattered around the floor.

"Look at this," Athena said, picking up a pad of paper. "Is this the victim's sketch book?"

"We're pretty sure, yeah," Ema said. "Be careful with that."

"Wow, these aren't half bad," Athena said, flipping through the pages.

"Guess that much should be expected from a famous artist," Apollo said, looking over her shoulder. "These must be some of his rough sketches."

The pages were filled with quick sketches of plants, animals, and various objects all drawn in black ink. They were pretty good, in Apollo's opinion. Compared to his skills, at any rate.

"What kind of stuff did this guy paint, anyway?" Apollo said.

"His main things was rooms," Ema said.

"Rooms?" Apollo said.

"Yeah, different rooms with different objects in them," Ema said, shuffling through her bag of Snackoos. "I guess it's supposed to have some deeper meaning to it."

"Interesting," Athena said, closing the sketch book.

"Sure," Apollo said. He turned his attention back to the crime scene. "So, I'm guessing he was doing some sketching before he died."

"That would make sense," Ema said. "But how did he die?"

_Let's see here…. _Apollo scanned the floor, searching for another point of interest. He soon noticed a collection of shards on the ground and walked closer to examine them further. _These look to be…. Ceramic, maybe. And there's a slight stain on the floor. _The lawyer inhaled and picked up on a familiar scent in the air. He instantly recognized it as coffee.

"I think I've got it," Apollo said. "Mr. Timmons was out here sketching, then he took a break to drink his coffee. But the coffee was poisoned, and it killed him. Is that right?"

"Sharp," Ema said. "You're right, we took the rest of the broken mug back to the lab and found traces of poison. Clearly someone stirred it into the coffee. Would you like to see the autopsy?"

"That would be great," Apollo said.

"Gracias!" Athena said, flashing a V-sign.

Apollo took the autopsy and flipped through the pages. "Thank you very much, Ema. Do you mind if we investigate a little more?"

"You're welcome to try, I guess. We've combed this scene for hours and there's not much to see," Ema said. "Coffee and a bunch of doodles, that's it."

"Really?" Apollo said, looking around the hallway. _Now that I look, there really isn't much to see on this side of the hallway…._

"In that case, why do you think Paige did it?" Athena said. "Doesn't sound like you have much to go on."

"We have quite a bit of evidence, actually," Ema said. "Pretty concrete too."

"How? All you've got is a sketch pad and weaponized coffee," Athena said.

"Who do you think gave him the coffee?" Ema said. "His assistant."

* * *

**_And so the curtains close on the first day of investigation! I pass the baton to you, Darkblaw! Time to put some collaboration into this collaboration! XD_**

**_Now, to the readers, I thank you for reading this story! I know you're reading this, I can see it on the Traffic Stats, there's no hiding from me! Come forward and leave some reviews, it's fun! And greatly appreciated, I might add!_**

**_Hope you enjoyed the story, have a great day! And a cookie! :D_**


	4. Chapter 4

_**So… I'm not good with Author's notes. That's Ace's thing, honestly. Um… Hopefully you enjoy my writing. Shameless plug: Read Ace's third installment of her Turnabout Sparks saga, it's very good, and if you haven't read the other two installments, do that too! Anyways… High Inquisitor Darkblaw, signing out!**_

* * *

Apollo was looking over the court record, reviewing his evidence until he saw that Athena was approaching. "Hey, Athena."

"Hey, Apollo!" She responded cheerfully, making a v-sign. "Ready for the trial?"

Apollo sighed. "Uh, I mean, I'm not looking forward to nearly getting my hair chopped off…"

"Cheer up! Simon isn't that bad," Athena patted Apollo on his shoulder, "Besides, you're Apollo Justice, and you're fine, right?"

Apollo chuckled lightly. "Yeah," He cleared his throat, getting his chords of steel ready. "I'm Apollo Justice and I'm fine!"

Athena smacked her fist against her hand, smiling. "That's the Apollo I know!" She turned around, hoping to see Paige walk through the door, but instead she saw Juniper walk through the doors, coming in their direction. "Junie!"

"Hey, Thena. Hello, Apollo," she said quickly, blushing lightly when she greeted Apollo.

"Hey, Juniper." Apollo greeting back to the judge in training with a smile.

"Junie, what are you doing here?" Athena asked enthusiastically.

"I came to wish you two good luck," she said, smiling, before she looked around the two lawyers. "Where's Paige?"

Apollo poked his forehead. "Hasn't arrived yet."

"Sometimes, they can just take forever to get here!" Athena complained loudly.

"Don't worry, Thena. It took me a bit to get here as well. I just hope Paige will get here soon enough so I can wish her good luck as well."

Athena became silent, tapping her moon earring. Suddenly, a large grin grew on her face.

Apollo slouched, getting very nervous. "What are you planning…?"

Athena clapped her hands together. "Why don't you come with us, Junie?"

"H-Huh…? I don't think I c-could…" She began stuttering, getting nervous.

"It's okay with me." Apollo said. "Of course, the final decision is up to you."

_Oh Apollo… Always so caring…_ Juniper thought, her face getting red because of which. "O-Okay… I'll join you two."

"Yeah!" Athena smacked her fist against her hand again. "Alright, so know we just need Paige- Here she comes!" She said, pointing at the door.

"Hello." The young adult walked up to the two lawyers and to-be judge. "Apollo and Athena, right?"

"Yeah." Apollo said plainly. "You ready?"

"Yes," Paige wiped sweat off her forehead. It was hot outside. "Please prove me innocent. I don't want to be known as the killer of the great artist Victor Timmons!"

Apollo put his hands up, and took a step back. "Don't worry, we got this. C'mon guys, it's just about time to head inside. Let's go," he pointed out, and signaled the group to go inside.

* * *

Apollo stood at his familiar desk, and took in the courtroom's appearance. Despite seeing the same thing about a million times, it always felt like something new. He looked across the room and saw the prosecutor. Simon Blackquill, otherwise known as the Twisted Samurai, now unshackled, hopefully not to be shackled again. Still, seeing him made the red lawyer nervous.

"Justice-dono, I see you are heading the defense this time," he said, a grin on his face.

Athena put a grin on her face. "Don't forget me, Simon!"

Apollo took a step back. _Don't touch the hair, birdy._ "Yeah…"

"Admittedly, I feel a bit sorry for you," Blackquill stood up straight.

The lawyer's fists met the desk below him. "What do you mean, Blackquill?" Apollo asked.

"You'll find out in just a second." He responded, just before the judge walked in.

"All rise." The bailiff announce. Once the judge was seated, the others sat down as well.

"The trial for Paige Blank is now in session." The gavel banged against the podium after the words were said. "Now then, is the defense ready?"

Apollo nodded, "Yes, your honor." His two partners stood idle-y, Athena had her arms crossed with somewhat of a smile, and Juniper stood by next to her, looking nervous.

"Is the prosecution ready?"

"Hmph," Simon reluctantly nodded.

"Prosecutor Blackquill! I hadn't seen you in a trial for a while!" The judge exclaimed, his eyes wide.

"I decided to take a break after the phantom was captured," he explained. "I needed to sharpen my sword after all," Blackquill smirked.

_Couldn't make that break last at least a week longer…?_ Apollo thought.

"Well then, I am looking forward to see you prosecute again!" the judge said heartily. "Now then, your opening statement please."

Blackquill smirked at Apollo and Athena. "The victim, Victor Timmons, was poisoned, killed by his own student, who is our defendant. Her name is Paige Blank."

Apollo poked his forehead. _Huh, usually he doesn't give the opening statement…_

"This case will be done quickly," Blackquill turned around and leaned against his desk with his elbows. "I really don't see Justice-dono turning this one around. Not even Cykes-dono can do this." He began chuckling to himself.

"Hey!" Apollo slammed the desk with his fists. "Stop making fun of us!"

Athena wildly slammed her arm on the desk. "Yeah! We can totally beat you!"

They hadn't noticed that Simon had quickly turned around. He slammed his desk hard, shushing the red and yellow attorneys. "Quit your jibber-jabber and accept the truth."

"Objection! You haven't even brought up anything in your opening statement!" Apollo said, breaking the silence.

"Hmph. Still intend to fight, I see," Simon straightened himself. "Despite your dull sword… At least try to make this interesting."

Apollo looked into Simon's eyes, sharply. _You can bet on it. _

The judge spoke up. "Prosecutor Blackquill, please continue with the opening statement."

"Hmph. I'd much rather let the detective continue this trial. Skye-dono," Blackquill motioned for her to testify. Soon she was behind the witness stand, eating her snackoos. "Skye-dono!"

Ema put the bag of chocolate candies away and faced straight. "Yes, Prosecutor?"

Simon turned around and leaned on the desk again. "Testify about how the murder occurred."

Ema nodded lightly, and just as she was about to speak…

"Hold it!" Apollo slammed his desk. "The detective hasn't even introduced herself!"

Simon sighed, keeping the bird feather in his mouth. "You obviously knew she was a detective. And you know her last name. Is that enough to quit your jibber-jabbing or do you need to shout again?"

Apollo felt destroyed, and shrunk down, feeling disappointed.

"Don't worry, Apollo, you can get him next time!" Juniper tried to encourage him, patting him lightly on the back.

Simon snapped his head, flipping his hair a bit away from his face. "Now then, Skye-dono, get on with the facts."

Ema smirked a bit. "I got this, Prosecutor Blackquill."

_**Witness Testimony: Details of the Murder**_

_The murder occurred at 11 O'clock, a few days ago._

_The victim had been drinking coffee, coffee that had been poisoned._

_This poison was special, it acted slowly, taking a long time to destroy the systems of the person administered._

_We presume that the victim drank the poison around 10:30._

_And the only person who could have poisoned the drink was his student, Ms. Blank._

The judge's eyes were closed, as he was taking in all the new information. "So, the victim was poisoned… but this poison takes a while to activate? Wouldn't the murderer use a fast acting poison?"

Simon quickly responded before any of the defense could. "Leave the questions for the cross-examination, your baldness."

The judge nodded. "Good point! Mr. Justice, if you will?"

"Yes, your honor," Apollo said, nodding.

"You got this, Apollo!" Athena cheered him on. "There has to be a contradiction, all that's left is to find it!"

"Thena's right!" Juniper smiled sweetly at him. "You can do this, Apollo!"

Apollo's shoulders drooped. _Why is this so awkward?_

_**Cross-Examination: Details of the Murder**_

_The murder occurred at 11 O'clock, a few days ago._

_The victim had been drinking coffee, coffee that had been poisoned._

_This poison was special, it acted slowly, taking a long time to destroy the systems of the person administered._

"Hold it!" Apollo stopped the detective. "Can you go a bit more in depth about the poison?"

Ema nodded. "This poison was accidentally found just recently. It's quite common, I'm sure you could pick it up right off the ground outside."

The judge's eyes were very wide. "Pick it up right off the ground?!"

"Yes, the poison is something natural actually. Scientists haven't exactly found a name for it…"

Apollo glanced at his partners. They had the same look he did. _This isn't looking good…_

_We presume that the victim drank the poison around 10:30._

_This statement is giving me a weird vibe…_ Apollo looked over at Athena. "Athena, hand me the autopsy report."

She grabbed it. "Here you go."

"Thanks," Apollo said, taking the file from Athena. He flipped through a few pages, and got to the murder details. _Poison presumed to have been administered… at 10! _He smirked.

"Apollo, have you got something?" Juniper looked at him with a sparkle in her eyes.

"Yes, I think so!" He looked back at her, smiling. She blushed in response.

"T-That's great!" Juniper stuttered.

"Hurry, Polly, object!" Athena urged him.

Apollo nodded. "Way ahead of you!"

Simon looked at him with a deathly glare.

_Not even that with scare me! Objection!_

Apollo sent his finger forward, pointing at Simon. "Objection!"

Ema looked agitated. "What?! There was nothing wrong!"

Apollo shook his head. "I beg to differ."

"Justice-dono…" Simon had his hand to his chin and looked to be chuckling to himself. "Please, get on with it."

Apollo slammed his desk, making a small dent. "Gladly! Ms. Skye here said that the victim took the poison at 10:30… But the autopsy report says that the poison was administered at 10!"

Ema took a step back in surprise and the judge had his eyes open wide, but Simon… seemed unfazed.

Apollo looked nervous. "Athena…"

"Hm?" She looked at him.

"Help… Me…"

Simon spat his feather, making it fly right in front of Apollo's neck. The samurai ducked down a bit and pointed his index and middle finger. He made a slicing motion toward the red attorney.

"Oh… No." Apollo mumbled as wind blasted at him, cutting the feather in half and nearly cutting his neck. "Agh!"

Blackquill slammed on his desk, glaring at the red attorney. "Justice-dono, your sword is duller than I thought. If you hadn't noticed… The poison hasn't been given an exact time to activate. The report said 10, yes, but, since the poison doesn't have an exact time, it could've also been taken at 10:30. Understand?"

Apollo nodded, a bit scared. "Y-Yes…"

Blackquill flipped his hair again. "Hmph, if you walk into the battle field without a sword, you will get stuck in the crossfire. Understand that as well."

Apollo's face dropped on the desk, with Athena and Juniper trying to cheer him up a bit. _Ugh, this REALLY isn't going well…_


End file.
